Eye Surgery: What to Expect

Once you and your Advanced Eye Centers doctor have decided that you should be scheduled for eye surgery, you will be introduced to a surgical counselor. The surgical counselor will provide you with information regarding your surgical procedure, answer questions you may have regarding the procedure, your insurance, and how to prepare for the procedure. They’ll also assist in scheduling your appointments and provide you with instructions for pre and post-operative care.

Once you have been given a surgical date, you will be required to have an appointment with your primary care physician. You will need a history and physical examination and an EKG. This should be done one to two weeks prior to your scheduled surgery. You will also be given an appointment at Advanced Eye Centers to have an A-Scan (eye measurement) and any additional testing that may be needed for your procedure.

You will receive a call from our surgery center 1-4 days prior to the procedure with your arrival time. At this point, your surgical coordinator will review the pre-op instructions with you and answer any last minute questions you may have.

On the day of your surgery, you should wear comfortable fitting clothes and bring your pre-op drops with you. Family members and/or friends will be asked to wait in the reception area and we allow them to re-join you in the recovery area after your surgery is complete. Some patients prefer to be alone and that will be honored. You will be seated in a comfortable stretcher chair, which is also your operating table. All patients will be interviewed by our Anesthesia staff and made comfortable. Some light sedation will be administered by an anesthetist and your vital signs will be monitored throughout the entire procedure.

Once we are ready for you in the operating room, you will be wheeled into the room on your chair, where the chair will recline for the procedure. You will be able to communicate with the staff during your surgery so that the staff can ensure you are comfortable during the procedure. Surgeries can take between 10 minutes and 1 hour depending upon the type and complexity of the procedure.

Once the surgery is completed, you will be transported to the post-op area and your chair will be placed back into a seated position. You will be offered refreshments and monitored for a short period of time prior to being discharged. Your post-op instructions will be reviewed once again with you and a companion. You will be instructed not to drive or make any legal binding decisions for 24 hours. You will be given follow-up appointment(s), including an eye examination to check on your healing and for changes in your prescription. If you were referred to by an optometrist outside of Advanced Eye Centers, you will be instructed to schedule a follow-up eye examination with him or her.

Please do not substitute, disregard or delay seeking professional medical advice based on the content of this web site.
Call 911 or your doctor immediately if you are in need of emergency medical services.